CIGNA connects best in class - October 2009

CIGNA is opening up a new route for UK employers to access a wide range of employee health benefits and services.

Together with their sister company vielife, CIGNA is linking up with other leading employee health services providers to help employers develop best in class health management solutions. Through CIGNA Connect, CIGNA and vielife will offer a broader health and wellbeing solution working with specialist providers such as Ceridian, Blossoms Healthcare and Nuffield Health.

In the current economic environment employers need to be able to rely even more on their employees to deliver the best they can. According to the HSE, work-related stress, depression or anxiety affected 442,000 individuals in Britain’s working population during 2007/2008. This resulted in 13.5 million lost working days due to these work-related mental health conditions alone – the equivalent of 30.6 working days lost per affected case. An attractive benefits package and proactive health management services such as the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) provided by Ceridian, can be a lifeline to individuals struggling to cope with the increasing pressures they face and are therefore more relevant than ever.

But employers need to know they’re getting the best value for money they can across all areas of employee health spend. This means working with best in class suppliers who know how to look after their employees and at the same time proactively manage costs. CIGNA Connect gives UK employers easy access to a range of employee health benefits and services from leading providers which not only meet customer needs but can also work together as a total solution.

James Parker, CIGNA's UK Healthcare Managing Director says:

"Our customers often tell us they want best in class solutions to manage employee health, with CIGNA Connect we are responding to that need. CIGNA Connect makes it easier for our partners and customers to access a wider range of services but still have the flexibility to shop around."

To access CIGNA Connect please log on to www.cigna.co.uk/connect

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For further information please contact Jennifer Barr, CIGNA's Product Marketing Executive on 01475 492 415, Jennifer.barr@cigna.com or the CIGNA press office on 01475 492 484.

Notes to Editors:

CIGNA HealthCare UK is a leading provider of healthcare benefits and services using a unique nurse led case management approach CIGNA delivers the right care for the employee at the right price for the employer. They also work successfully with employers to reduce absence costs and manage employee wellbeing and productivity.

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